Investigators in the western Bulgarian city of Pernik are examining a case involving an attempted payment with a suspected counterfeit 20-euro banknote, according to the regional spokesperson of the Interior Ministry, Ventsislav Aleksov.

The signal was submitted yesterday by a 41-year-old woman working as a sales assistant in a shop in the city centre. The banknote was immediately confiscated, and police have already established the identity of the individual who tried to use it. A forensic expert assessment has been ordered to determine whether the note is fake, and the case is being handled under a fast-track investigation procedure.

Authorities noted that this is not an isolated incident. Since the start of the year, two separate pre-trial investigations have already been launched in the Pernik district over attempts to circulate counterfeit euro banknotes.

In the first case, a customer attempted to pay with a forged 50-euro note at a flower shop in Pernik. A follow-up search of the person uncovered an additional 12 counterfeit banknotes. The second incident occurred on January 11 at a casino on Krakra Pernishki Square, where a 500-euro note was identified as a prop rather than legal tender. Pre-trial proceedings are ongoing in both cases.